, especially on what? defense. the pentagon spent almost 13% more than normal in the third quarter, but at the end of the year, defense spending suddenly dropped 22%. that's the biggest drop in defense spending since 1972. the private sector did its part to grow the economy. families worked hard. they spent some money. businesses made some investments. but government spending dipped. and pulled the entire economy down with it. less spending caused less growth. but republicans like paul ryan keep saying, well, these cuts are going to boost the growth. >> we're not preaching austerity. we're preaching growth and opportunity. our job, our goal is to prevent and preempt austerity so we can get back to growth. >> really? countries like greece, italy and spain and france have done exactly what ryan wants this country to do. they cut government spending to pay off their debt. now the eurozone has posted record unemployment and poverty. we are facing $85 billion in automatic spending cuts on march 1st. we probably shouldn't trust republicans who think austerity is the best way to go for th
